SunPower strengthens its solar panel warranty

SunPower is boosting its warranty, guaranteeing power performance and product quality for 25 years, through extreme weather, wide-ranging temperatures, panel aging and more.

The company now guarantees at least 98 percent power for the first year, followed by a maximum degradation rate of 0.25 percent each year thereafter for 24 years. This results in a 92 percent power level at the end of 25 years compared to conventional solar panels which guarantee only 80 percent after 25 years.

“We believe the best warranty starts with having the best product,” said Tom Werner, SunPower President and CEO. “Our proven performance is validated by our customers’ results, as well as extensive field testing under a wide range of real-world conditions, well beyond traditional industry specifications. SunPower stands behind its products so that customers have confidence and peace of mind when they choose SunPower to go solar.”

In partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, SunPower has developed a robust method to calculate solar panel degradation. Degradation is something all solar panels experience, but at varying rates. When this method was applied to eight years of energy performance data from 264 SunPower solar systems operating at various locations worldwide, it shows that SunPower panels degrade less than 0.25 percent per year – 50 percent less than the annual degradation rate for conventional panels.

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Unlike conventional solar warranties that typically cover just the panels, SunPower’s Complete Confidence Warranty also includes the servicing needed to repair or replace defective parts when panels are installed by one of SunPower’s 1,300 Authorized Installers worldwide.

For residential solar customers, the new coverage provides 25-year protection for every core component of the SunPower Equinox system. Introduced in 2016, the Equinox system is the nation’s first home solar solution in which every major component has been designed and engineered by one company to work seamlessly together, delivering unbeatable power, long-term performance and premium curb appeal. This includes panels with integrated microinverters and racking, as well as 10-year coverage for monitoring hardware.

SunPower’s Complete Confidence Warranty is effective as of July 1, 2017 and is available to all customers for their SunPower E- and X-Series solar panels.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/news/sunpower-strengthens-its-solar-panel-warranty/]